As the snow melts away from the higher elevations of the Cascades, it leaves behind glaciated mountains enclosing valleys filled with glistening lakes and delicate alpine meadows. Views like these await visitors who summit the high peaks and ridges, where, above the treeline, the grand montane vistas open up. Such accessible areas are few and far in-between, and the high visitation to these areas during the short hiking season has a heavy toll on the delicate flora and fauna that survive in the higher elevations of the Cascades.

So when you are planning your next trip into the high alpine terrain of the Cascades, make sure you follow the seven principles of Leave No Trace:

1. Plan Ahead and Prepare

2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces, and concentrate use on existing trails and campsites

3. Dispose of waste properly, and pack it in, and pack it out. And if possible, leave the place cleaner than when you arrived there.

4. Leave what you find, or as they say: take only pictures and leave only footprints

5. Minimize campfire impacts - create fires only where permitted

6. Respect wildlife

7. Be considerate of other visitors.

Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA